Jeff Early leads nation in rebounding among 6-foot-1 and under
F Jeff Early (6-1, 187, Sr.) leads the nation in rebounding (7.8 rpg) among players who stand 6-foot-1 and under. Second in the nation is Evansville 6-foot guard Troy Taylor (7.4 rpg).
Early ranks third in the MVC in rebounding, 11th in scoring (13.2 ppg), sixth in steals (1.6 spg) and seventh in field goal percentage (.516). He has six double-doubles on the season. Although he stands 6-foot-1, Early technically plays the hybrid "4" spot.

Desmar Jackson a stat-sheet stufferDesmar Jackson (6-5, 173, Jr.) leads the team in scoring (16.7 ppg), steals (37) and 3-pointers (24). He is second in rebounding (6.1 rpg). Jackson was named MVC Newcomer of the Week after he made the game-winning 3-pointer with 12 seconds left to beat Fresno State on Nov. 28, and was selected to the All-Tournament team at the World Vision Challenge in Utah (Dec. 20-22), where he averaged 22.7 points, 7.3 rebounds.

Desmar Jackson 20-point gamesDesmar Jackson reeled off three-consecutive 20-point games at Wichita State (28), versus Indiana State (29) and at Bradley (21). The last Saluki to score 20+ in three consecutive games was Kent Williams, who posted four-straight in Nov./Dec. of 2001 versus Illinois (23), UIC (21), Indiana (22) and George Mason (26).

Salukis versus Panthers
Southern Illinois has lost eight of the last nine meetings with Northern Iowa overall, with the only win coming at home on New Year's Day in 2011. The Salukis are 0-6 at the McCleod Center and have lost nine-straight at UNI. The last road win over the Panthers was nearly 10 years ago to the day (Jan. 22, 2003).

Anthony Beane top-scoring freshman
G Anthony Beane (6-2, 171, Fr.) averages 10.1 points per game, third-best on the team and tops among freshmen in the MVC. He has scored double figures in all but one conference game. Beane originally committed to Illinois State, but came with his father to SIU.

Conference-only rankings
In conference-only games, SIU is fifth in FG percentage (.463) and 10th in FG percentage defense (.493). The Salukis are third in steals (6.9) and 10th in rebounding margin (-5.6).

No starter taller than 6-foot-5
The Salukis have no starters and only one active player taller than 6-foot-5 (forward Davante Drinkard is 6-9). The top rebounder is 6-foot-1 forward Jeff Early, who averages 7.8 boards per game.

Trending
SIU has been out-rebounded in every conference game except Indiana State (the only conference win)...Josh Swan has made 11-of-22 (.500) shots from the field in conference games after going 10-for-29 in non-conference games...The Salukis are last in free throw shooting in MVC games (.671).

Salukis snap losing streaks
The win over Indiana State snapped a nine-game MVC losing streak for SIU and a five-game losing streak overall. The victory also marked Barry Hinson's first Valley win at SIU Arena since 1999, breaking a 10-game skid.
SIU still has an 11-game losing streak in road conference games. The last Valley road win came at Bradley on Jan. 4, 2012.

Road Warriors
SIU has played 10 road games already this season -- the most of any MVC team. The Salukis are 3-7 on the road after posting a 2-11 road mark last season. Southern has only four non-conference home games on its schedule, the fewest of any MVC team.

Points off turnovers
One of the reasons why Southern is shooting better this year (.458) compared to last (.414) is its ability to score off of opponent turnovers. The Salukis are +6.4 in points off turnovers, out-scoring opponents 332-216.

Simultaneous double-doublesDesmar Jackson (6-5, 173, Jr.) and Jeff Early (6-1, 187, Sr.) have each recorded doule-doubles in the same game (at SIUE and vs. Nicholls State) twice this year. Prior to this season, the last time two Salukis recorded a double-double in the same game was on Feb. 23, 2002, when both Jermaine Dearman and Rolan Roberts posted double-doubles at Indiana State.

Dantiel Daniels leads MVC in field goal percentage
It's been an injury-plagued season for F Dantiel Daniels (6-5, 230, So.), who has missed all or part of five games, but he is leading the MVC in field goal percentage (.663). He is also seventh in the league in blocked shots (1.0 bpg). Last year, he led the MVC in blocked shots (1.6) and was named to the MVC's All-Freshman team.

Salukis need Daniels
In the last two seasons, Saluki F Dantiel Daniels has missed part or all of 10 games with injuries. SIU is 2-8 in those games, with its only wins coming at Chicago State and New Orleans.

KBS is active scoring, assists leader
G Kendal Brown-Surles (5-9, 175, Sr.) is the active leader in scoring and assists at SIU with 660 career points and 250 assists during his four-year, 104-game career. He has made 56 career starts, more than any other player on the team. KBS ranks 18th in career assists at SIU.